1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing system and printer including a function for reprinting data that has been printed earlier.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the progress of network-related technology in the computer industry has led to the construction of network systems in which a plurality of computers are connected to one printer via a local area network (LAN) containing a client server. Such a system is advantageous in terms of low equipment expenses and efficient use of space, because all the computers use one common printer via the client server for printing.
However, when one printer is used to serve a plurality of computers, as described above, some computers used in the system must be placed a great distance from the printer. When the users of these remotely located computers print a document, they must subsequently proceed to the printer in order to retrieve their printed document.
Hence, if the user prints a document, proceeds to the printer to retrieve the document, and after verifying the printed material decides to print the same document again, then this user must suffer the inconvenience of again returning to the computer and inputting a command to reprint the document.
In order to solve this problem, U.S. Pat. No.4,825,405 has proposed a printer of a type that can facilitate a reprint from the printer itself. This type of printer includes an internal memory capable of storing one-page of print data, for example. Accordingly, the user can operate keys provided on the printer panel and reprint only the page that has been printed last, without leaving the printer.